Jesse Jackson
by percylupin
Summary: Jesse Pearce has lived happily with his mother for the past five years. When a traumatic event leaves him with no mother, it's up to his big brother Percy to help him get better. How will the 24 year old Percy Jackson deal with raising a younger brother by himself? How will Jesse deal with living with family he never knew? HOO didn't happen. Annabeth doesn't exist.
1. Chapter 1

**A friend gave me this idea for a story. Here's the first chapter. Tell me what you think.**

Jesse Pearce eagerly looked out the window. This was his first time on a plane. His mother sat reading a magazine. Giggling, Jesse squinted, trying to see the tiny cars below them. He paid no attention to the storm clouds around him or the rumbling thunder. "Please fasten your seat belts," the pilot called over the loudspeaker.

Jesse's mother pulled him back down into his seat and buckled him in. She bit her lip as oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling. She quickly put hers on before helping her son. Poseidon had warned her about flying. Why hadn't she listened to him?

Jesse looked up at his mother. He shrugged it off and turned his head back to face the window. He played with the strings holding his oxygen mask on. He stared wide-eyed at the flash of lightning that went by the plane.

Tears formed in Sarah Pearce's eyes. _Jesse's going to die, and it's all my fault. Please, Zeus, don't kill my son! Kill me instead. Please, let him live!_ Sarah screamed as a gust of wind ripped off the roof of the plane.

Jesse grabbed his mother's hand. The wind was blowing his hair all around. He was scared. Jesse buried his face in his mother's side. Sarah pulled him closer. All around the small family, people were screaming, babies were crying, and old women were praying.

The plane started rocking back and forth. Lightning flashed through the sky again, setting one of the wings on fire. Jesse whimpered and clung to his mother. _Please, not my son!_ Sarah plane landed in a field of dry grass. It flipped over several times before stopping.

"Mommy," Jesse whimpered after he pulled off the oxygen mask. He poked his mother's side, but she wouldn't move. "Mommy, please wake up. Mommy, we're okay. We made it. Mommy, please wake up.

The young woman sitting next to Sarah Pearce felt her heart break when she heard the little boys broken voice. She gently reached over the still body of the older woman and grabbed Jesse's hand. "C'mon, sweetheart. Let's get you out of here. People will come get your mommy later."

"P-promise?" Jesse sniffled.

"I promise," Cathleen Johnson smiled sadly. Jesse held his arms up. Cathleen picked him up and carried him off the plane wreckage. It would be just this boys luck that the one person who died in the plane crash was his mother. She shielded the five year old boy from the view of the reporters.

"Do you have a daddy?" Cathleen asked the boy gently. Jesse shook his head. Cathleen felt tears well up in her eyes as she pulled out her phone to call child support.


	2. Chapter 2

Percy grinned as he closed his mom's apartment door. He had done it. He had graduated college. "I did it, Mom," he smiled.

"I'm so proud of you, Percy," Sally smiled. "I knew you could do it." Sally wrapped her son in a tight hug.

"Congrats, Perce," Paul grinned, clapping his stepson on the shoulder.

"Big brother did it," Tyson exclaimed. He scooped Percy up into his arms.

"Yeah, I did it, Tys," Percy laughed. He hugged his baby brother back.

Tyson put Percy down as the phone rang. Sally frowned as she picked it up. "It's for you, Percy," she said.

"Who is it?" Percy asked as he took the phone.

Sally smiled sadly at Percy and turned to talk to Paul. Percy shrugged and put the phone to his ear. "Percy Jackson speaking."

"Hello, Mr. Jackson. This is Carly Schwartz. I'm calling about Jesse Pearce. Would I be correct in saying your father is Poseidon Jackson?"

"Erm...Yes," Percy said, a slight edge to his voice. He wasn't ready to forgive his father, not yet.

"Am I also correct to say he is unable to care for a child?" Carly Schwartz asked again.

"Very," Percy growled.

"I didn't mean to impose Mr. Jackson. Like I said before, I'm calling about Jesse Pearce, your half brother. His mother has recently passed away in a plane crash. We were hoping you might take him in."

"Um...you sure my father's name was on the birth certificate?"

"Positive, Mr. Jackson. Your brother is at St. Paul's Children Home on the corner of 3rd and Madison. I will be waiting for you there if you would like to take him home." The line went dead.

Percy hung the phone back up. He looked at his mother. He told her everything Carly Schwartz had said. When he was done, he looked up at his mother. "What do you think I should do?"

"Well, they most likely have already told that poor boy about you. He's probably looking forward to meeting you, Percy. You can't just leave that boy there to be adopted by a stranger."

"But, Mom, I'm a stranger to him!"

"You're his brother, Percy. You're less of a stranger than anyone else. Besides, you're the only family that boy has left besides his father. The gods know your father won't do anything!"

"Mom, I don't even know how old he is!"

"Well, why don't you go find out."

Percy sighed and stood up. "Where are you going, Percy?" Tyson asked.

"To go pick up our little brother, Tyson." Sally smiled at her son as he walked out the door.

"What am I doing?" Percy asked himself as he stood in front of the menacing doors of the children's home. He pushed them open. Percy walked up to the receptionist. She seemed like a grumpy, old lady. "Um...Percy Jackson to see Carly Schwartz," he said timidly. What was wrong with him? He had fought titans, giants, and the earth itself, and now he was scared of meeting a little boy, who was his brother.

"Do you have an appointment?" the grumpy lady asked.

"Uh, no."

"No appointment no service. I'm sorry Mr. Jackson." Percy didn't think she sounded sorry at all.

The grumpy woman turned as a friendly looking older woman stepped into the room. "Are you Percy Jackson?" she asked. Percy nodded his head, holding out his hand. "Carly Schwartz," the woman smiled. "I must say I didn't think you would show up."

"My mother talked me into it," Percy admitted sheepishly.

Carly let out a soft chuckle. "Would you like to meet Jesse?" she asked.

"That's why I'm here." Percy grinned his lopsided smile.

"Well, just show me your license and we'll be on our way."

"Thanks," Percy sighed, handing the bubbly woman his ID.

"All seems in order," Carly smiled. "Follow me. Jessie's pretty shy right now, so he might take a little to get used to."

"I understand," Percy said, remembering when he thought his mother was dead.

Carly gestured to a door. I let you go in. I think he'll take it better if he hears it from you." Percy nodded and slowly opened the door. He heard Carly's heels clicking off into the distance. Percy peeked his head inside and saw a little boy on the bed.

"Are you Jesse?" Percy asked as he closed the door.

"H-hi," Jesse stammered. "Are you my brother?" Percy nodded slowly, unsure of what to think. "I've packed m-my things, and I'm ready to leave when you are." Percy watched, slightly shocked as the small five year old grabbed a backpack and his book he had been reading.

"Alright then," Percy said. "I just have to sign a few forms, and then I'll bring you to your new home." Jesse nodded. Percy thought he looked like he was walking towards his death, which he certainly hoped wasn't the case.


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't own PJO bY the way. This chapter has why Percy is mad at Poseidon. FYI my updates will be very sporadic.**

Jesse looked around Percy's apartment. He figured he should get acquainted with it if he were going to be living here. This wasn't his home. His home had been with his mother. He would never be home again. "Um..." percy started awkwardly. "Welcome to your new home."This will never be my home thought Jesse darkly. "I didn't exactly know you were coming till a couple hours ago, so we'll have to shop for you tomorrow. I can, er, show you to the guest room you'll be staying in if you want. Then, we can have some dinner. I'm not the best cook, but I can make mac and cheese pretty well." Percy stopped his ramblings to look at his younger brother.  
Percy bit his lip before grabbing his hand and pulling him down the hallway. Percy opened the door to a beige room. "Welcome to your new room. We can repaint it if you want." Jesse looked around the room nervously. He was going to be living with his brother-who was nineteen years his senior, mind you-that he hadn't known he'd had until today.  
"The paint is fine," Jesse said. "When do I get to meet our dad?"  
Percy flinched. He should have known this question would come up. His eyes lost focus as memories overtook him.  
**Percy was talking to Nico as they walked up Half-Blood Hill. Chiron had said they would meet a powerful demigod there. Nico groaned when he reached the top. He pulled Icefire, his sword, from its sheath. "It's your old buddy, Kelp Head," Nico groaned.  
"Can't old Beef Head just stay dead," Percy groaned as he pulled out Riptide. He ran to the top of the hill to catch up with Nico. Together, the two cousins charged the Minotaur. Nico went for the monsters legs while Percy went for its chest. Percy nearly stepped on a cowering fifteen year old as he charged the Minotaur.  
Nico made a deep gash in the beast's knees, causing it to collapse. Percy drove his sword into the fuzzy head, turning the creature to dust.  
The boy stood up and brandished a stick at the pile of dust. "Take that!" he shouted at the dust. Percy and Nico shared a look before they both rolled their eyes.  
"How could you two leave him to fight by himself!" a high pitched voice scolded.  
"What?" Percy demanded, turning to face the speaker. "What are you talking about, Clarisse?"  
"You two were lazing around and let an untrained demigod fight the Minotaur!"  
"No we didn't," Nico growled.  
"Yes, you did," the new demigod grinned. "I'm Tom Ross, by the way. Son of Poseidon.**  
"Are you going to answer?" Jesse asked, waving his hand in front of Percy's face.  
The eldest son of Poseidon blinked and shook his head to get rid of the bad memories. How could Poseidon have banished him? He hadn't killed that sea nymph, it was Tom. Tom had killed Katie's flowers. Tom had broken all of Will's arrows. Why hadn't they believed him?  
"No, you will hopefully never meet him, Jesse. I know you probably don't want to hear this," Percy knelt down and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, "but our father isn't the best. He kinda disowned me in favor of one of our other brother's. I don't really want you meeting him. I can take you to meet some of our brothers though. Tyson and Triton are really nice. I'll take you to meet my stepdad and mom too."  
Tears welled up in Jesse's eyes. "Mommy," he gasped. He clung to Percy's shirt as tears started streaming down his cheeks. Percy awkwardly rubbed his brother's back. He had know idea how to take care of a child.  
"Hey, it's okay, JJ," Percy whispered. Jesse started sobbing harder. Mommy used to call me that. Only Mommy can call me that. "Okay, let's not call you that. It's alright, Jess. I didn't mean to upset you. You're gonna be alright, Jess. Just relax." Eventually, Jesse calmed down. "How about that Mac and cheese, huh?" Jessie nodded his tear stained face.


	4. Chapter 4

_**This is a two month time skip. I have changed my mind a little with the story though. Jesse doesn't have PTSD, but he does occasionally have nightmares. There is mega Percy/Jesse brotherly bonding in this chapter. I may make this a Chaos story because I have always wanted to write one and it would fit in well with the plot line I have planned out. If you don't like that, I'm sorry. I would probably put that in a sequel if I did that. FYI this story will most likely have a cliff hanger. If I do make this a chaos story, I swear on the Styx it will be very different from at least the ones I've read. ENjoy this chapter. I tried to make it longer.**_

Jesse whimpered as he tossed and turned in his bed. He was having another nightmare. It had been happening the entire two months he had spent with his brother. Every night he would wake up shaking from the same dream.

**Curiously, Jesse stared wide-eyed at the bolt of lightning heading straight toward the plane. He didn't seem to recognize how dangerous it actually was. Everything went black as the lightning struck the plane.**

"**NO!" Jesse shouted. "Mommy, wake up!" The young boy shook his mother's shoulder. A young woman with blond hair that had been dyed purple at the tips leaned over Jesse.**

"**C'mon, sweetheart" she whispered. "Let's get you out of here. Your mommy will meet us outside."**

"**Promise?" Jesse asked. The woman smiled and nodded. She picked him up and carried him outside. As soon as they were out of sight, the woman grew old and wrinkled. Her skin greyed and a fire danced in her eyes. She cackled evilly as she and Jesse disappeared in green fire.**

**When they reappeared, Jesse noticed they were in a cave. On the far wall, various torture devices hung from the rock. There were daggers, whips, and vials of poison. Jesse was shocked to find him knowing what some of these things were. Jesse turned and saw a frail man hanging from the other wall. The wrinkly hag put him down and disappeared in another flash of green fire.**

**Nervously looking around, Jesse decided to run up to the pale man. He seemed so familiar, and Jesse had never been given the chance to see who it was in the two months of having this same dream. Timidly, Jesse crept up to the man. "H-Hello," he stuttered.**

"**Jess, is that you?" the man's cracked voice asked.**

"**Yes, wh-who are you?" Jesse was afraid to learn the answer.**

"**It's me, Jess it's your dad!" This man was Jesse's father? He was nothing like how Percy had described him of the few occasions he had let something accidently slip.**

"**How am I supposed to know if you're telling the truth if I've never met you before?" Jesse questioned nervously. What if this pale man was pulling a hoax to trick him?**

"**You know me, Jess," the man's hoarse voice whispered. He slowly lifted his head.**

**Half of the man's face was covered in blood. A deep gash ran from his temple all the way across his face and to his chin. The black hair was mussed up and the green eyes had lost their light, but Jesse had looked into them enough to know who this man really was.**

"**Percy..." Jesse murmured. He held out his hand to touch his brother's blood-stained face.**

"**You have to go!" Percy warned. "Before it's too late. Before **_**he **_**comes back!" Jesse was about to ask why when the door slammed open. A tall man walked into the room. He had a disgusting amount of muscles, and Jesse had the sudden urge to puke.**

"**Hello, Hero of Olympus," the tall man greeted coldly.**

"**Tartarus," Percy spat. **_**What are they talking about? **_**though Jesse. "My father will destroy when he finds what you have done to me." Now Jesse was really confused. He had thought Percy hated his dad.**

**The dark skinned man laughed. "But then it will it will be too late. I think I'll need to increase your punishment, hero." The man carefully selected a knife off the wall. Jesse was well aware of the green poison dripping from the golden blade. The man stepped towards Percy and began to dig the blade into his skin. Percy screamed in pure torment as three words were carved into his arm. **_**Half-Blood FIlth.**_

Jesse woke up screaming as a bolt of lightning lit the sky. He leant over the side of the bed and began heaving. His dinner soon joined his slippers on the floor. Jesse started coughing and hacking. His face was pale as hot tears ran down his face..

Hearing screams, Percy ran into his brother's room, fearing the worst. He was glad to see his brother was safe, puking, but safe. Percy sat down on the bed next to Jesse. "Shh," he whispered, soothingly rubbing Jesse's back. "It's alright, Jess. Calm down. Everything is gonna be alright."

Eventually, Jesse calmed down enough to stop sobs turned to hiccups. Carefully, Percy picked up his brother and placed him on his lap. Jesse buried his face in Percy's T-shirt. Still rubbing Jesse's back, Percy asked, "What's wrong, Jess? You were fine before bed. Did you have a nightmare?"

Jesse nodded into Percy's college tee. Slowly unburying his face, Jesse nodded. "I had another one."

"You mean this has happened more than once?" Percy questioned. Jesse nodded, looking up. Tears were streaming down his cheeks. "What was it about?" Percy asked hoarsely.

"At f-first I was on the p-plane again. The woman wh-who took me off the f-first time took me off again. She...she turned into a m-monster. There w-was this green fire. And then w-we were in this c-cave. And you were there! And this guy was hurting you!"

Jesse's sobs shook his entire body. Percy whispered soft reassurances into his hair. "I didn't want to tell you," Percy said after a few minutes. Jesse looked up into his brother's tan face. "There's something I didn't tell you about our father. He...well, he isn't exactly human. How much do you know about the Greek gods?"

Jesse blinked his wide green eyes, glassy from his crying. "I-I know about Zeus and Hades. I watched the Hercules movie. That's about it."

"Well," Percy said, "There's a lot more than that. You know about Zeus and Hades, so I'll tell you about the other major gods. Hermes is the god of travellers. Apollo is the god of the sun, music, archery, and healing. He's the god of a lot more stuff, but that's the main stuff. Artemis, Apollo's twin sister, is the goddess of the hunt, archery, and maidens. Ares is the god of war, and Athena is the goddess of wisdom and battle strategy. Hephaestus is the god of the forge, so, like, building really cool stuff. Dionysus, the youngest major god, is the god of wine and parties. Those are all children of Zeus."

"Now," continued Percy, "There's Hera. She's the goddess of maidens. She's Zeus wife and Ares and Hephaestus' mother. Demeter is the goddess of the harvest. She had a child with Zeus called Persephone, the goddess of springtime. Persephone married Hades. Aphrodite is the eldest goddess. "Well," Percy said uncomfortably. He had tried not to think about Luke for a while. "Luke got into a little trouble when he was nineteen. The titan lord, Kronos, wanted to rule the world. He sent Luke a lot of dreams promising him things he really wanted. Kronos brain washed Luke to betray the gods. Luke stole Zeus' master bolt, but it was recovered by Grover and another hero. Then, Luke poisoned Thalia's tree so the heroes would get the Fleece to help resurrect Kronos. Grover, Clarisse, a daughter of Ares, and the same hero that helped recover Zeus' master bolt saved the Fleece and brought it back to camp. About half a year later, Luke kidnapped the goddess Artemis. Grover, Thalia, the hero, Bianca DiAngelo, a hunter of Artemis and daughter of Hades, and Zoë, a daughter of Atlas and the lead huntress of Artemis, saved Artemis. Thalia had to fight Luke and it emotionally hurt them a lot. Thalia won't admit it, but they both loved each other."

"Luke is a bad guy," frowned Jesse.

"No," Percy sighed. "You didn't let me finish. Bianca and Zoë both died on that quest. That summer, Luke tried to lead an army through the underground Labyrinth with the minotaur. Do you know about him?" Jesse nodded eagerly, waiting for the story to go on. "Well, they failed because Camp Half-Blood drove them back. The next year, Camp Half-Blood fought a war against Kronos. Kronos possessed Luke's body. In the end, Luke killed himself to end the war and defeat Kronos. He was a hero." On the last word, Percy's voice cracked.

"Heroes are really brave," Jesse said. He had trouble wrapping his head around people being able to be that brave. "Who's the other hero you didn't say the name of?"

Percy chewed on his bottom lip. "That hero would be me. My father is Poseidon. He's your dad too, Jesse."

"Im a de-mi-god?" Jesse asked. He pronounced demi-god slowly. Percy nodded. "But you said Daddy is mean," Jesse frowned.

"Yeah, well..." Percy said uncomfortably. "Dad made some bad choices in my opinion. We have another brother named Tom Ross. He made up a bunch of things about me. They were bad things that he made up, and Dad believed him. Dad got really mad at me even when I tried to tell him they were lies. Dad told me to go away and never come back."

"But you're a hero. You saved the master bolt, the Fleece, and Artemis," Jesse argued.

"I know," smiled Percy. "I don't need him. I have you now. You're much better. About the rest of your dream now. Demigods sometimes get dreams. We mostly call them demigod dreams. Yeah, not the most original, but that's what we call 'em. The dreams might be something that happened in the past, a hint at something that's going to happen, or the future. It could also be the present. What you described was definitely not the past or present."

"Does that mean it's going to happen?" asked Jesse worriedly. He didn't want to lose his older brother so soon.

"Maybe not," Percy assured him. "It could just be a hint on the future so we can prevent it."

"I hope it's that one," Jesse said. "I don't want to lose you. I love you, Percy."

Percy's eyes widened. "I love you too, Jess," he whispered, pulling his brother into a tight hug. "Now, why don't you sleep with me tonight?" Jesse nodded and grabbed his brother's hand.


	5. Chapter 5

**This is an abnormally long chapter for this guys. I also have great news for those of you who read my first story Reading PJO at Hogwarts. I found a way to redo my story without it getting deleted. I just need to write it out now. I should have it up by the end of the week. If you want me to PM you when I put it up, leave your username in a review or PM me to tell me. It's Jesse's first day of kindergarten, and I tried to portray older Nico to the best of my ability. He is still a little childish, but now he is drop dead sexy. Enjoy, FYI Nico is mine!**

Jesse jumped up when a ringing went off next to him. Something was rattling on the night stand. Tentatively, Jesse reached out to it. When his finger touched it, the ringing stopped. _Oh, it was the alarm clock._

"Jesse!" Percy called from outside the room. "It's time to get ready for your first day of Kindergarten!"

"I-I'll be out in a second, Percy." How could he forget, his first day of Kindergarten, the first school he would ever go to, was today. Of course, he's been to Daycare, but that didn't really count in his mind.

Jesse hopped down off his bed and over to his dresser. Struggling only a little, he managed to open the bottom drawer and pull out a pair of baggy jeans and a T-shirt. After pulling on his clothes, Jesse ran out to the kitchen where Percy was waiting for him.

"Hey, Jess," Percy grinned. "You ready for school?"

Jesse took a deep breath before nodding his head.

"How about some waffles before school?" Percy questioned. He put a plate of blue waffles on the table. Scooping Jesse up, Percy placed his half-brother on the wooden chair. Happily and enthusiastically, Jesse dug into his waffles.

When he was done eating, Jesse ran into the bathroom to brush his teeth. He had gotten used to living with Percy, and he liked it a lot. It was almost as good as living with his mom. In some ways, it was even better. Percy was much more lenient.

"You ready to go, baby brother?" Percy asked,sticking his head around the bathroom door.

"Yeah," Jesse grinned, allowing his older brother to help him into his denim jacket. Percy grabbed Jesse's hand and led him out the door, making sure to lock it on his way out. Percy than carried Jesse down the stairs to his blue Mustang. For some reason that was completely beyond Jesse, Percy preferred blue things.

Scared, Jesse stared up at the ominous building above him. Tentatively, he grabbed Percy's calloused hand with his own shaking one. Percy smiled down at him, but he looked a little nervous himself. Percy led Jesse through the halls and into the main office of the elementary school. He walked up to the front desk and picked up Jesse.

"Hello, ma'am," Percy smiled. ""I'm Percy Jackson, and I'm here with my little brother, Jesse Jackson."

Jesse looked up at Percy with a raised eyebrow. Percy winked at him.

"Of course, dear," the elderly woman jumped up when a ringing went off next to him. Something was rattling on the night stand. Tentatively, Jesse reached out to it. When his finger touched it, the ringing stopped. Oh, it was the alarm clock.

"Jesse!" Percy called from outside the room. "It's time to get ready for your first day of Kindergarten!"

"I-I'll be out in a second, Percy." How could he forget, his first day of Kindergarten, the first school he would ever go to, was today. Of course, he's been to Daycare, but that didn't really count in his mind.

Jesse hopped down off his bed and over to his dresser. Struggling only a little, he managed to open the bottom drawer and pull out a pair of baggy jeans and a T-shirt. After pulling on his clothes, Jesse ran out to the kitchen where Percy was waiting for him.

"Hey, Jess," Percy grinned. "You ready for school?"

Jesse took a deep breath before nodding his head.

"How about some waffles before school?" Percy questioned. He put a plate of blue waffles on the table. Scooping Jesse up, Percy placed his half-brother on the wooden chair. Happily and enthusiastically, Jesse dug into his waffles.

When he was done eating, Jesse ran into the bathroom to brush his teeth. He had gotten used to living with Percy, and he liked it a lot. It was almost as good as living with his mom. In some ways, it was even better. Percy was much more lenient.

"You ready to go, baby brother?" Percy asked,sticking his head around the bathroom door.

"Yeah," Jesse grinned, allowing his older brother to help him into his denim jacket. Percy grabbed Jesse's hand and led him out the door, making sure to lock it on his way out. Percy than carried Jesse down the stairs to his blue Mustang. For some reason that was completely beyond Jesse, Percy preferred blue things.

Scared, Jesse stared up at the ominous building above him. Tentatively, he grabbed Percy's calloused hand with his own shaking one. Percy smiled down at him, but he looked a little nervous himself. Percy led Jesse through the halls and into the main office of the elementary school. He walked up to the front desk and picked up Jesse.

"Hello, ma'am," Percy smiled. "I'm Percy Jackson, and I'm here with my little brother, Jesse Jackson."

Jesse looked up at Percy with a raised eyebrow. Percy winked at him.

"Of course, dear," the elderly woman smiled. "Here are the forms you need to sign." The elderly woman handed Percy a clipboard with a black pen. Percy took them and sat down on the uncomfortable couch in the office. He shuddered. It was like his school years all over, waiting to be led into the vice principal's office.

Percy looked at the first question on the sheet of paper. **Clids'h mean_. **It took him a couple minutes, but eventually he deciphered **Child's name_.** "Jesse Jackson," Percy murmured as he wrote the words carefully. His dyslexia was still killing him.

**Age: 6**

**Sex: Male**

**Address: 6A Bayside Apartments Madison Ave. Manhattan**

**Family: Perseus Jackson, brother Nico di Angelo, cousin**

**Contact: 567-3987(cell) 784-0270(home) kelpbrains64 **

**467-3820(Nico's cell)**

**Medications: N/A**

**Health Issues: ADHD and Dyslexia**

**Allergies:_**

Percy wasn't sure about the answer to the last one. "Um...Jess, are you allergic to anything?" So far Jesse hadn't shown any allergic reactions.

"Pineapple," Jesse said simply before going back to playing with the buttons on his jacket. Percy shrugged and wrote down Jesse's answer before signing his name. **Percy Jackson**

Percy handed the lady the sheet. After she thanked him, she said, "Jesse's room is number 013. Just make a left when you exit the office. It's the last door on the right side of the corridor."

"Thank you, ma'am," Percy smiled. He took Jesse's hand and helped him down from the couch. Together, the two brothers walked down the long hallway. "Good luck," Percy whispered before opening the door to Jesse's classroom.

Percy walked into the room with Jesse clinging to his leg. "Hello, may I help you?" asked the young woman who stood in front of the class. Percy's mouth dropped open. He had met a lot of pretty girls in his time being a hero, but this one took the prize.

"I-I'm Percy Jackson. Jesse is my little brother. I was just bringing him here for his first day." Percy pulled Jesse out from behind him.

"Hi, Jesse," the teacher smiled. "My name is Miss Thompson. Come along, I'll show you your seat."

Jesse smiled timidly at Miss Thompson and followed her. He looked back over his shoulder at Percy. The older of the two brothers simply waved good bye before exiting the classroom.

"This is Opal and Liam, Jesse. You'll be sitting with them until the end of the month."

"H-hi," stuttered Jesse. _What's wrong with me? I'm not normally this shy._

"Hi," Opal smiled shyly. Opal had pretty, black hair that was up in pigtails. When it was down, it would have reached a little past her shoulders. Her black eyes had thin lines of rainbow colors running through them. Her eyes were hidden behind a thick pair of brown, plastic glasses.

"Hey," Liam said. Liam had light brown hair with forest green eyes. Liam was rolling an orange pencil around the table.

"I think you'll like them a whole lot," Miss Thompson smiled. She walked back to the front of the class. "Okay kids, why don't we all introduce ourselves to Jesse. We can say our first names and something special about us. Opal, why don't you start?"

"I-I'm O-Opal, and I like coloring." Opal didn't seem to like speaking out to the entire class.

Miss Thompson gestured to Liam. "I'm Liam," Liam started confidently, "And I like building stuff."

The class continued on like that, with people saying things like, "I'm Natalia, and I have a new puppy named S'more." or "I'm Luke, and I like to go swimming." Miss Thompson asked Jesse to go last. "I'm Jesse," he started. He paused not sure what to say next. "And I...I like making blue waffles with my brother."

"Blue waffles?" Miss Thompson asked.

"My brother is kinda weird. He refuses to eat waffles unless they're blue. I don't really know why."

"Your brother sounds cool," grinned Liam.

"Yeah, he is pretty awesome," Jesse agreed.

Jesse's day went pretty well until after lunch. Miss Thompson handed out a bunch of crayons. She asked the class to color a picture of their families. Jesse stared at his page for a few minutes. He looked up to see Opal drawing a picture. She was really good. There were four people in the drawing. The one that looked the most like Opal was standing a little on the outside. Liam's drawing was just two people. It looked like him and his mom.

Jesse smiled, finally getting an idea. He would draw himself, Percy and Nico. Nico had become a big part of his life since he had moved in with Percy. He could still remember the first time he had met his cousin very clearly..

**"Jesse, can you come in here?" Percy called from the entrance hall. "There's someone I want you to meet." Jesse ran into the hall Percy was standing in.**

**When he got there, he whimpered and his behind Percy. The tall, dark man laughed. It sounded warm, completely different from how the shadows seemed to cling to the man. The man was in a black leather jacket. A silver bike helmet was under his arm. The jacket was opened enough for Jesse to see the black tank top the man wore. Dark grey skinny jeans clung to the man's legs. Everything about the man was muscular from his solid chin to his buff arms to his rock hard abs to his powerful legs.**

**That wasn't even the scariest part. They were a deep brown almost black. His hair hung down a few inches above his shoulders. It was pulled back at the nape of his neck, leaving only fringe. A pure white diamond glittered in the man's left ear. A silver ring was pierced into his bottom lip and left eyebrow. From the man's right ear, hung a large fang. The fang was a pure white and from something much larger than a snake's. The man's skin was paler than snow. In Jesse's opinion, the scariest part of him was his eyes. They were a cold, hard obsidian. They looked...dead.**

**"H-Hi," Jesse stammered, hiding further behind Percy. Percy and the man started laughing at Jesse's frightened expression. None the less, Percy picked Jesse up to comfort him a little.**

**"I'm Nico, you're older cousin," the man smiled. Jesse thought he looked nicer when he smiled. His eyes lost that dead look. He seemed to lose his dark demeanor.**

**"I know," Percy grinned, "Nico can be scary when you first meet him."**

**"Hey," Nico pouted playfully. It didn't suit the way Nico dressed, but Jesse could get used to his cousin if he kept acting a little childish.**

Since that first meeting, Jesse and Nico had gotten very close. Jesse drew himself first. Then, he drew Percy on his left and Nico on his right. He didn't add in Nico's piercings, because the teacher might not like that. Jesse smiled at his finished product. "Who did you draw?" asked Liam. "I drew my mom and me. I never met my dad. All the other kids laugh at me because of that, but I don't really care."

"I never met my dad either," Jesse sighed. "Percy, my older brother, says he's really mean. My mom died in a plane crash a little bit ago. I drew me, Percy, and my cousin Nico. I live with Percy since he's my closest living relative besides my dad. Nico is my cousin on my dad's side. He's coming with Percy to pick me up today."

"That's really cool," grinned Liam. "I wish I had a brother. Hey, Opal, what did you draw?"

Opal flinched at the sudden noise, until she realized it was just Liam. "Oh, m-me? I drew m-myself, my m-mom, my st-stepdad, and st-stepsister."

"I guess none of have dad's." Jesse said. Liam nodded his small head.

"Alright, class," Miss Thompson smiled. "Why don't we share what we drew. Julian, you can come up first." A tall boy with blond hair and brown eyes jumped up to the front of the room. He held his picture of a bunch of stick figures up in front of the entire room.

"I drew me, my mommy, and my daddy. We're all playing in Central Park together."

"That's very nice, Julien," smiled Miss Thompson. "Jesse, why don't you come up now."

Jesse took a deep breath before picking up his drawing and going to the front of the room. He felt rather uncomfortable with everyone staring at him. "I drew a picture of me, my brother, and my cousin. I live with my big brother because my mommy died a couple months ago, and my cousin Nico, he's the one on the right, spends most of his time on our couch."

"Are you close with your cousin, Jesse?" Miss Thompson asked cautiously. She knew some people like Nico were rather dangerous.

Jesse nodded happily. "Nico looks really mean, but Percy says that he's more like a fluffy panda from China. I never really understood that, but Percy thinks it's really funny and Nico glares at him everytime he says it."

"You should find out why and tell us," laughed Miss Thompson. Jesse's brother sounded like he took good care of his little brother. Percy wasn't to hard on the eyes in Miss Thompson's opinion either. "You can sit down now, Jesse. Sierra, why don't you come up next." The rest of the day past fairly well for Jesse, except of course the occasional kid who would stare at him like he was a freak.

When it was time to pick kids up, Percy and Nico came in right after a girl with obviously fake platinum blond hair. The girl came right up to Jesse's table. "C'mon brat," the girl sneered, standing next to Opal, "I have better things-" she froze mid-sentence.

Nico and Percy had come to stand on either side of Jesse. Jesse tried to hide his giggles when he noticed Nico hadn't removed any of his piercings. "You ready, baby bro?" Percy grinned. Jesse nodded looked up at Nico, whose eyes were on Opal. He was watching her curiously, causing her to blush.

"Hello, handsome," the blond girl giggled, stepping up in front of Nico. "I don't believe we've met before. My name's Diana."

"S'up, Diana," Nico said casually. You wouldn't notice unless you knew him, but Percy and Jesse could hear the distaste in his voice. "My name's Non Me Ne Frega Un Cazzo." Percy doubled over in laughter. He didn't know a whole lot of Italian, but he understood what Nico just said.

"Why don't you let me drop the brat off home, and you can come check out my room with me. I think I need some help fixing my bed."

"I find it disgusting that you would say such a thing in front of children," Nico frowned. "Come on, Jess. I just got a new motorcycle. You wanna take it for a spin with me?"

"Yeah," Jesse grinned. "Bye, Liam. Bye, Opal." The three five year olds waved good bye to each other before parting ways.


	6. Chapter 6

**I apologize for the ridiculously short chapter, but I really needed to get this in.**

Percy stood nervously in front of Jesse's door. He wasn't sure he should be doing this. Would Jesse even want it? For all he knew Jesse would hate the idea and never talk to him again. Percy took a deep breath, steeling his nerves. Cautiously, he pushed open the door.

Jesse was sitting on his bed reading a Dr. Suess book. "Hey, Jess," Percy called.

"Hi, Percy," Jesse smiled, looking up. Percy tried for a smile, but it came out as more of a grimace. Jesse didn't seem to notice. Nervously, Percy sat on the edge of Jesse's bed.

Percy closed his eyes for a second before looking straight into Jesse's eyes. They were completely identical to his own. "I have something to ask you, Jess," Percy started. "You don't have to say yes, of course, but I want your honest answer." Percy was rushing his words now.

"What is it, Percy?" Jesse asked.

"Would you like it if I," Percy cleared his throat, "Adopted you?"

Jesse blanched. "Y-You want to adopt me?" he asked.

Percy nodded, biting his lip. "Forget it," he sighed. "It was a stupid idea."

Percy got up, ready to leave the room. "Wait!" Jesse called before Percy could open the door. "You mean you want to be my dad?"

Percy nodded. "I completely understand that you don't..."

"I never said I didn't want you to be my dad," Jesse said. "I would like that, a lot, Percy."

Percy smiled at Jesse. "You sure?"

Jesse nodded eagerly. "Of course I am...Dad."

Percy grinned at Jesse. "We got a lot of paper work, kid."

A month later, Jesse Pearce was officially Jesse Jackson.


	7. Chapter 7

**Here's the next chapter everyone. It was inspired by the song Broken Girl by Matthew West. Thanks for getting me addicted Meggie!*Sarcasm* If mentions of rape offend you do not read. Scroll to the bottom for a quick gist of the chapter. Also heavy mentions of abuse. This chapter mostly focuses on Opal. Oh, and before I forget, go to the bottom author's not. If you answer the questions correctly, I will give you a shout out and dedicate the next chapter to you. If **

Three years later, Jesse's best friend, Opal, showed up at the Jackson residence. Percy was shocked to see the little girl with tears running down her cheeks. Percy quickly let her in after checking to see if her mom or step dad were in the hallway. He picked her up and brought her into the kitchen.

"What's wrong, Opal?" he asked softly.

The little girl hiccuped as Jesse walked into the room. "Opal," he grinned happily. Percy shushed him quickly. "What's wrong, Daddy?" Jesse asked.

"Th-they left m-me," sobbed Opal. She clung to Percy's shirt.

"Who left you, sweetheart?" Percy asked.

"M-my family! O-one minute they were all th-there, and I w-went t-t-to the bathroom. Wh-when I came b-back they w-were gone. All th-that they left w-was this note." Opal pulled a crumpled note out of her jacket pocket. Percy took a minute to decipher it, but eventually he got it.

Go away you little brat. We don't want you anymore. How could you think we would ever want you. Leave and never come back! If you're here when we get back, you'll get the worst beating of your life!

Percy's eyes widened when he read the last line. "Jesse," he whispered hoarsely, "Why don't

you go get the guest room ready for Opal."

"Okay," Jesse frowned. "Call me if you need me, Dad. I'll see you in a minute, Opal."

"B-Bye," Opal hiccuped.

Percy picked Opal up off the chair he had put her in and carried her to his room. He sat her down on the bed and she froze. "N-No!" she shrieked. "Please, no! I'm sorry! Please, don't!"

Percy slowly backed up from Opal. "Sweetie," he said softly, "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want you to answer some questions. Do you think you can do that?" Opal nodded after a second of hesitation. "DId anyone in your family ever hit you, Opal? It's really important that you answer this truthfully, sweetheart."

Opal nodded. "I-I'm a b-bad girl. Bad g-girls get beaten. M-Mark beat me a lot."

"What about your mom, Opal? Did she hurt you too?" Percy asked.

"N-No," Opal whispered. "Mommy loved me. She tried to keep M-Mark from hurting me."

"Why are you talking in past tense, Opal?"

"Mark, he-he k-killed M-M-Mommy!" A fresh batch of tears was streaming down Opal's face. "I-I want Mommy back!"

Percy stepped forward while Opal was distracted and pulled her into a tight hug. "I know you do, sweetheart. I'm sorry. When I was younger, a lot of my family members were killed too. We had to fight in a war to keep our home safe. I miss them all a lot. I want them back too, but there is nothing we can do. I'm sorry, Opal. Just a couple more questions, okay, Opal?" Opal mumbled something that Percy did not quite catch. "Did Mark...did he ever...erm...rape you?" Opal started sobbing harder.

"Y-Yes," she whimpered into Percy's shirt. Percy closed his eyes to fight back his own tears.

"Why aren't you scared of me than?" Percy asked softly.

"B-Because I trust y-you. I t-trust Mr. di Angelo too."

"Where did Mark beat you the worst?" asked Percy.

"M-my back. Why?"

"Is it okay if I took a couple pictures?" Percy asked quietly. "It would help a lot. We might be able to get Mark arrested."

"Really?" Opal asked eagerly. Percy nodded grinning. "H-He whipped me on m-my back a lot," Opal said.

Percy pulled his phone from his pocket. "It's for evidence," he explained. "We need proof that he actually did this to you. The note would help too, not to mention I've got a really good lawyer. She's the best one out there. I just need you to trust me so I can get some pictures. Can you do that, Opal?" Opal nodded slowly.

Percy carefully lifted Opal's shirt a little way up her back. He felt bile rise in his throat at the sight of the wounds. Blood was still coming from some and a yellow pus covered the others. Even in the second titanomachy he hadn't seen such gruesome wounds. Percy took a couple pictures before helping Opal back up. "Let's go get that bandaged up, yeah?" Opal nodded and grabbed Percy's hand. Percy pulled her into the bathroom and took down some antibiotics. "I'll take you to the hospital tomorrow to get that checked out," he promised.

"Thank you, Mr. Jackson," Opal whispered.

"Call me Percy."

**So basically, Opal was being abused and raped by her stepfather. Her stepfather killed her mom. She is staying with Percy while he works on getting a case for her.**

**Questions**

**1:Who is Liam's dad?**

**2:Who is Opal's dad?**

**3:What is the inspiration for Opal's name?**

**4:Where does Nico spend half his life?**

**5:What is considered a death omen in Italy?**


	8. Chapter 8

**This is a really long chapter, guys. I hope you like it. It's the trial. The lawyer Percy finds is awesome. There is also foreshadowing. Tell me when you spot it and what it means.**

"Please, Nemesis," Percy begged. "You're the only person I could trust to succeed in this."

"Why should I help you, Perseus Jackson?" the goddess asked.

"I helped you," Percy pleaded. "It was because of me the gods accepted you. I was the one who gave you respect on Olympus. Besides, you are the goddess of justice. All I'm asking is for you to bring this man to justice. After that, you won't have to do a thing. Please, if not for me, do it for the little girl who was raped and beaten! Do it for the innocent woman who was murdered without cause!"

"Very well, Perseus," Nemesis said. "I shall bring this man to justice. I swear it on the Styx."

"That's all I ask," Percy sighed in relief.

Two weeks later, Lady Nemesis, goddess of justice and balance, stood in front of a judge and jury, prosecuting Mark Rider for the rape, abuse, and neglect of Opal Shay and the murder of Amelia Shay.

"As you can see from these pictures," Nemesis said calmly, "it is quite obvious that the defendant is guilty. I bring forth my first witness, Mr. Perseus Jackson." Percy gulped before stepping forward into the witness booth. He was nervously fidgeting with his dark blue tie. "Please tell the jury about when you found Opal Shay at your door," Nemesis instructed.

Percy closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them again, he began. "I was cleaning up my kitchen. My son was sitting in his room watching television. I heard the doorbell ring, and went to go see who it was. Normally my cousin, Nico di Angelo is the only one to visit, but he never rings the doorbell. He just uses his key and comes straight in. I was shocked to see one of my son's closest friends standing outside my door with tears running down her cheeks."

"I picked her up and brought her into the kitchen. Jesse, my son, came into the kitchen to see what was wrong. Jesse asked Opal what was wrong, and she started sobbing. She said her family left her and handed me a note. The note said that the Opal's stepfather and sister wanted her to leave and that they never wanted to see her again."

"May we see this note?" someone in the jury asked.

Nemesis smirked and handed the note Percy had given her to the man. The rest of the jury huddled around it. After a few minutes, they nodded and sat back down. The judge motioned for Percy to continue.

"I asked Jesse to go get the guest room ready for Opal. I brought her into my room and put her on the bed. She started begging me not to do it again. She shouted that she was sorry. At the time I had no idea what she was talking about.." Percy paused. Tears were forming in his eyes. "I told her I wasn't going to hurt her. I asked her if her family hit her. She said yes. I asked if both her parents did it. She told me that her mom tried to stop it and that her mom loved her. She was speaking in past tense, and I asked her why. She said, 'Mark, he killed Mommy.' She started sobbing harder. 'I want Mommy back.'"

Tears were in everyone's eyes as they listened to Percy's account on the events. "While she was distracted, I pulled her into a hug. Opal flinched slightly, but didn't pull away. I then told her about a few of my family members who were killed in war. It seemed to make her a little more comfortable. I asked her if Mark had r-raped her. Opal said y-yes." Percy couldn't help but stutter. He couldn't believe someone would do something to a little kid like that. "I asked her why she wasn't afraid of me after all that. Opal said it was because she trusted me and that she trusted my cousin, Nico, too. I asked her if I could take some pictures of where Mark had beaten her, so I could get a trial. She let me and told me that he mostly whipped her back when he was beating her. I took her to the hospital the next day, and she's been staying with me ever since. Nico babysits her and Jesse when I'm at work and they don't have school or if I was with the lawyer."

"Can we see the pictures?" asked a different member of the jury. Nemesis pulled the pictures Percy and she had printed out from her brief case and passed them over. She also handed over the ones the hospital took separately. There were several gasps from the jury members.

"Is Mr. di Angelo here?" asked the judge.

Nico stood slowly from the crowd of people that were watching the case. Two small children stood up and grabbed his hands. He smiled gently down at them. He wore a pitch black suit with a charcoal dress shirt. His hair had been pulled back at the nape of his neck, and his fang earring had been removed. His other piercings were still in place. He nodded his head slightly.

"Would you be willing to give testimony?" the judge asked, nervously. Nico tended to have that effect on people.

"Of course," Nico smirked. "Come on, Opal, Jesse. You two need to go with Perce while I'm up there."

"Are you in trouble, Nico?" asked the little girl.

"No, Opal," Nico said. "I'm helping get Mark in trouble, sweetheart."

"Oh," the little girl said simply.

"You are Opal Shay?" asked the judge. The girl nodded, trembling and hiding behind Nico's legs. "Would you mind giving your point of view after Mr. di Angelo?"

Opal looked up at Nico. He nodded encouragingly. "Okay Mr. Judge," she said. There were several small chuckles. The judge smiled slightly. Nico handed Jesse and Opal over to Percy who took them back to Nemesis. Nico sat at the witnesses bench.

"Can you tell us about the first time you met Miss Shay?" the judge asked.

Nico nodded trying to think back to the first time he had met the little girl. "It was about three years ago. I was picking Jesse up from his first day of school with Percy. It was about two months or so before Percy adopted Jesse. Jesse, Opal, and their other friend, Liam, were at the table with him. There was an older girl there with Opal. She looked about 21, my age. Before Jesse waved us over, I heard her talking to Opal. She said something like 'Let's go, brat. I have better things to do.' I don't remember exactly. It was a while ago. She grabbed Opal's arm, and Opal started struggling to get away. I didn't think anything of it at the time because I figured they were sisters and that it was normal. I mean, my sister never acted like that, but I just figured it was because both my parents were dead and she was trying to take care of me. I guessed that if I had a normal family my sister would act like that. I think I might of freaked Opal out a little. I kept staring at her. She just looked so much like B-Bianca, my older sister. She died in an explosion when I was ten."

"And how does she behave when your babysitting her, Mr. di Angelo?" the judge prompted.

"Well, she's overall well behaved." Nico frowned. "She doesn't like any sudden movements and gets really upset whenever Jesse or I leave the room. I'm not entirely sure why. I'm guessing it's because she trusts us and thinks that if we're not in the room with her something bad will happen and we won't be able to protect her. We try to always have someone in the room with her just in case. Opal likes helping Percy's mom cook whenever she comes over. She a little nervous around Paul, Percy's step dad, and flinches away from him when he gets too close. She flinches when you make a sudden movement or touch her doesn't really talk a lot either."

"Thank you, Mr. di Angelo. Miss Shay, would you mind coming up here?" the judge asked kindly.

Opal nervously stood up. Nico gave her a thumbs up as they passed each other. Opal sat down in the seat that Nico had just left. "Do you know the difference between the truth and a lie?" the judge asked.

"A lie is something you make up," Opal said. "The truth is something that's real, like when you say Mr. Nico looks scary but is actually really nice."

The judge chuckled slightly at her example of the truth. He had gotten the impression of Nico di Angelo being a criminal until he had heard him talk. His voice was filled with happiness, much like a young child had. The judge supposed that Nico di Angelo had had a hard life. "Do you remember what happened while at your stepfather's house, Opal?"

"Y-Yes," Opal whimpered, trying to rid her mind of all the bad memories.

"Are you willing to tell us what happened?" Opal nodded her head. "Alright, Opal," the judge said. "I'm just going to ask you a couple easy questions, alright?" Opal nodded again. "How often did Mark beat you?"

"Whenever I did something bad, sir."

"What was considered bad?" the judge asked softly.

Opal's eyes swept over Mark. He was glaring daggers at her and she flinched back. "Wh-Whenever I came home, a c-couple minutes late, or if I d-didn't finish all m-my chores."

"Don't be afraid, Opal," the judge said. "He can't hurt you right now. How do you know he killed your mother?"

"I-I was there, sir. He had j-just finished beating me with the b-belt, sir, when M-Mommy came home from work. She tried to get me away from him b-because he was g-gonna r-r-rape me again. He p-pulled a knife f-from the kitchen d-d-drawer and threw i-it at her. It h-hit her in the chest a-and she fell down. I-I tried to w-wake her up, b-but she wouldn't w-wake up. M-Mark threw her b-body in the fireplace, and he b-b-burnt her b-body." Opal started sobbing. The judge gestured for someone to come get her, and Nico ran up.

Nico picked her up and carried her back to where a chair had been pulled over for him by Percy. He sat her in his lap and started rubbing her back. She buried her face in Nico's shirt, her body wracked with sobs as she clung to the young man. "Sh, it's alright, sweetheart. Everything's going to be alright. I promise." Slowly, Opal's sobs quieted.

"We will now hear the defense," the judge said.

Two hours later, the jury was voting. "By unanimous vote," the judge said, "Mark Rider has been sentenced to sixty years in prison for the rape, abuse, and neglect of Opal Shay and the murder of Amelia Shay," the judge said.

"Thank the gods," Percy and Nico whispered in relief.

"Thank you, my lady," they both whispered to Nemesis. She nodded at them, smiling. She would need to speak with Thanatos to make sure Mark Rider died in prison.

"Opal," the judge said. "We have agreed on a guardian for you if you and the guardian will accept. It's someone you know very well."

"Not my step sister," Opal gasped.

"No, not her," the judge smiled. "We were thinking Mr. di Angelo would make an excellent guardian, if he accepts, of course."

"Can I really live with you Mr. Nico?" Opal asked excitedly.

"Of course you can, Opal," Nico smiled. "As long as you don't mind seeing Percy a lot." In a stage whisper, Nico said, "I know he can be very annoying." Opal giggled along with Jesse as Percy glared at his cousin.

"I don't mind," Opal giggled.

"That settles it," the judge smiled.


	9. Chapter 9

**Two chapters in two days. I'm impressed with myself. Not only that, but I also updated You're a Demi-What? today. Don't expect me to keep updating like this though. I love you guys, but I have a life. This chapter is mostly focused on Opal and Nico. I introduce another character in it too. If you guys don't know who she is, you should be ashamed to call yourself PJO fans. Anyways, about questions 3 and 5 from two chapters ago. I asked what the inspiration for Opal's name was. My inspiration was the black opal. The reason for the inspiration can only be understood if you knew that Opal's dad was Hades, which he is, hence, she looks like Bianca. In number 5, I asked you what the Italian Death Stone was. It's the black opal. I figured it matched the personality I am going to give teenage Opal. She's going to be dark and mysterious with a hint of fieriness. Enjoy the chapter.**

"Welcome home," Nico said nervously as he opened the door to his apartment. He had stopped living with his father when the gods betrayed Percy.

"You left the lights on, Mr. Nico," Opal pointed out. Nico's eyes widened when he noticed that the lights in the kitchen were indeed on. He motioned Opal behind him and crept towards the kitchen door.

"Who's there?" he called.

"Hey cuz," a girl called, slamming the fridge door shut.

"Thalia?" Nico asked. "How did you get into my house?"

"A bobby pin," Thalia explained simply. "I didn't know you had a kid, Nics."

Nico rolled his eyes and picked up Opal. "I don't. This is Opal Shay. I'm taking care of her because her stepfather is-in Percy's words, not mine-a barnacle."

"Percy called him a barnacle?" Thalia asked, raising her eyebrow. Nico nodded. "Typical Kelp Head."

"Oh, Opal, this is Percy and my cousin, Thalia," Nico told Opal. Opal nodded her little head and waved to Thalia, who waved back. "I'm going to show Opal her room, and then you're going to tell me why you're here, Thals."

"You got it, Zombie Boy," Thalia grinned.

Nico groaned as he bought Opal out of the room. "This is your room," he said. "Erm...we can decorate it anyway you want over the weekend, okay, Opal?" Opal nodded. "I got to go talk to Thalia. I'll come get you when dinner is ready, alright?"

"Okay, Mr. Nico," Opal said, sitting down on her bed. "Do you need me to do anything?"

"Nah, Opal. You don't need to do anything. Call me if you need anything, alright?"

"Okay, Mr. Nico," Opal said nervously. _Why don't I have to do anything?_ she wondered. _Mark and Diana always made me do all the chores around the house._

"Why are you here, Thalia?" Nico demanded as he reentered his kitchen. "If the gods are trying to convince me to go back to Camp, it's not going to work."

"They aren't," Thalia protested. "Do you notice anything different about me?"

Nico shot his cousin a confused glance before looking her up and down. "You don't have your tiara thing anymore. Why not?"

"I quit the Hunt, Nico," Thalia sighed, plopping down in one of the chairs. "Artemis ordered the Hunters to go to Camp about a week ago. There was a new camper, a son of Poseidon. I figured he would be the person who would most likely know where you and Percy were. I asked him and he told me you two had left the camp. When Artemis came to pick us up, she said the gods had banned Percy from Camp and that you followed him. She wouldn't say why, so I quit the Hunt and came looking for you."

Opal sat on the bed. She looked around her new room. It was painted a light grey. The carpet was such a dark blue it was almost black. It was just the way she liked it. Everyone assumed that because she was a girl she automatically liked pinks and purples, frilly dresses and skirts, and anything sparkly. It could not be more different. Opal hopped off the bed when she realized she had to go to the bathroom.

Cautiously, she opened the door and tip toed down the hallway. She didn't want to make too much noise and interrupt Mr. Nico's conversation with Miss Thalia. She would definitely get in big trouble then. On the other hand, maybe Mr. Nico didn't beat you when you misbehaved. Percy didn't beat Jesse afterall, and her mom never beat her. Maybe only Mark beat people when they did something wrong. No, it was best not to get her hopes up. Mr. Nico may seem nice, but Mark always pretended to be nice around other people too, and he was actually really mean.

As Opal was trying to find the bathroom, she sneaked past the closed kitchen door. She heard Thalia saying something. She didn't mean to listen, but Thalia was talking very loud. "-said the gods had banned Percy from Camp and that you followed him. She wouldn't say why, so I quit the Hunt and came looking for you."

Opal tried to keep walking past the door, but she accidently bumped into the wall. She cried out softly in pain as she landed on the floor. She heard something heavy and metal hit the floor and Nico shout, "Styx!" The door flung itself opened to reveal a very angry Nico di Angelo.

"I-I'm s-sorry," Opal whimpered. Nico's glare landed on Opal. His eyes softened and he knelt down in front of her. "I w-was just trying t-to find the b-bathroom."

"It's okay," Nico hushed her. He gently picked her up. "C'mon let's get you to the bathroom, and then you can come in for dinner. I just finished it." Opal nodded tearfully and wrapped her arms around Nico's neck. He brought her down the rest of the hallway and opened the door for her. When she was inside, he closed the door and stood outside.

After washing her hands, Opal opened the door. "You done?" Nico asked.

"Yes, Mr. Nico," Opal answered.

"Call me Nico, Opal," Nico said. His lips curved up slightly in a smile. "I hope you like hamburgers. That's about all I know how to make."

"Hamburgers are good, Nico. Is Miss Thalia staying to eat with us?"

"You can call her Thalia, Opal," Nico sighed. "You'll probably be seeing her a lot. Yeah, I think she's staying for dinner.

"That's good," Opal smiled. "She seems nice."


	10. Chapter 10

**I made a mistake, guys. ****_She accidently posted the chapter 11 first. I'm MeggieBlack btw. I don't know if you guys know me, but I'm helping with this fic._**** She writes Nina's Destiny which I am also helping with, so please check it out. ****_It's a PJO and Harry Potter crossover._**** Anyways, please enjoy this chapter. ****_Which is chapter 10._**

"Yo, Perce, check out who I found!" Nico shouted into the lit apartment. He closed the door quietly behind Thalia and Opal. There was no answer. "Perce! Are you home?" Nico called again.

"Hey! Kelp Head, where are ya?" Thalia shouted. Still no answer. The two older members of the trio began to get worried. Nico began walking to the kitchen where there was a little noise. Thalia and Opal followed closely behind.

Blinking at the bright light, Nico entered the kitchen. Percy was sitting at the table holding hands with a very familiar looking woman. How he hadn't heard them was completely beyond Thalia and Nico. "Miss Thompson?" asked Opal.

The couple quickly turned around. "Oh, um, hello, Opal," Miss Thompson smiled nervously. "Congrats on winning your case in court. Percy was just telling me about it."

"Th-thanks, Miss Thompson."

"Oh, please, call me Izabelle. I'm not exactly your teacher anymore," Izabelle smiled.

Opal nodded nervously. "So, Perce," Nico smirked. "Whatcha doing with Jesse's kindergarten teacher, or should I say Izabelle?"

"Who's Jesse?" Thalia interrupted.

"My son," Percy said quickly. "Izzy and I _were_ on a date until you interrupted it, Nico."

"Your what?" Thalia screeched.

"My son," Percy said slowly. "Technically he's my half-brother, but I adopted him. What are you doing here?"

"It is a family matter that shouldn't be discussed in front of those who aren't family, Percy," Thalia said.

"Izzy's going to be family soon enough," Percy argued. "I proposed last week and she said yes."

"It's a _cousin _thing," Thalia groaned, stressing cousins."

"Percy, who is that girl?" Izabelle asked.

"Izzy, my cousin Thalia. Thalia, my fiance Izzy."

"You're getting married now? And where's Jesse?" Nico asked.

"Jesse is at Liam's place, and yes I am getting married."

"What is going on?" Izzy asked.

"Opal leave. Go to Jesse's room. I'll get you in a second," Nico ordered. Opal nodded and ran from the room. "The rest of you sit." Everybody obeyed Nico and sat down. Nico sat next to Thalia. He stared at her for a second. "I can't believe your sixteen," he groaned.

"What's going on?" Izzy repeated.

"Are you going to tell her, Percy?" Thalia asked.

"Should I?" Percy snapped back. He took a deep breath. "This is as much your secret as it is mine."

"If you don't, I will," Nico grunted.

Percy took a deep breath. "What do you know about the Greek gods?"

"You're all insane," Izabelle declared, standing up from her seat.

"Wait, Izzy, don't go," Percy pleaded. "I can prove it." He raised his hand and the water in his glass floated up to form a small sphere of water.

"Th-that's not possible," Izabelle gasped, falling back into her seat.

"It's really happening," growled Thalia. "Can we get into the reason I'm here now?"

"You were a tree," gasped Izabelle, pointing a shaking finger at Thalia.

"Perce, you found yourself a genius," Thalia remarked sarcastically. Percy threw a glare at Thalia and grabbed Izzy's hand. "Yes, I was a tree," Thalia answered Izabelle. "Then I became immortal. I left the Hunt, losing my immortality. That is why I am only sixteen when I should be thirty-two."

"And you," Izabelle said, pointing at Nico, "were frozen in time for seventy years."

"Yes," Nico groaned. "That's why I'm twenty-three instead of a ninety-six."

"Percy, you saved the world," gasped Izabelle.

"With a little help," Percy admitted.

"Why not?" Izabelle asked herself. "Wait, why did you quit the Hunt, Thalia."

"Because I found out that Percy was wrongly accused of various misdeeds."

"Big word, Thals," snickered Nico. Thalia sent Nico her best death glare. Even the son of Hades was a bit creeped out by it.


	11. Chapter 11

**I am embarrassed to say that this is a major time skip. **_**As you should be, percy. I mean it's like erm...how old are they**__**now?**_** 16, Meggie. **_**It's like an 8 year time skip.**_** I'm terribly sorry Meggie, but I couldn't come up with anything for the years in between. **_**I'm not talking to you!**_** Good for you, Meggie. Anyways, there is another dream sequence for the phycology class. Jesse was bad and fell asleep in class. **_**Good for him.**_** Are you talking again now? **_***Silence***_** Well, I hope you enjoy the chapter. I'll admit, it's not the best. I just wanted to get the dream in, and this was the best way I could think of.**

**A man dressed in dark robes stalked towards a smaller man cowering on the floor. "You put up quite the chase, Mustafa," the standing man sneered. All you could see of him was the thin line of his pale lips. "Most don't last that long while running from me."**

"**Who are you?" the cowering man asked shakily.**

"**I am the assassin," the unnamed man smirked. "Surely you have heard of me. I am Omega. They call me the Avenger for I avenge those who have been wronged. They call me Omega because I am the last thing you will ever see. I hope you enjoy your last few minutes of life. My lord knows I will." Omega knelt before Mustafa. He pulled a silver knife from it's sheath. Almost tauntingly, Omega positioned the knife at the man's throat. "You are guilty of the torture of thousands, Mustafa," the assassin whispered, so Mustafa had to strain his ears to hear him. "May you feel their pain in your death. May you forever be tortured by the memories of your past." Omega thrust the silver blade forward.**

"Man, wake up," Liam hissed at Jesse. Jesse's eyes snapped open and he sat up. "Care to share why your so tired, Mr. Jackson?" asked the physcology teacher.

"Not particularly," Jesse frowned, remembering the pack of hellhounds he and his dad had had to fight off last night.

"Than perhaps you would tell us what you were moaning about," the teacher prompted.

"I was moaning?" Jesse asked Liam.

"Yeah, something about torturing people," Liam whispered back.

"Erm...I had a really weird dream," Jesse said to the entire class.

"Carry on, Mr. Jackson," the teacher grumbled. "We are studying human dreams at the moment, so you might as well."

"It was really disturbing," Jesse continued, staring at his wooden desk. "There was this man dressed in all black. He cornered another man. The first man said his name was Omega. He called himself the Avenger. I think the second man was called Mustafa. The venger guy said that the other man had tortured a bunch of people. And then, he killed him." Jesse looked up into his teacher's wide eyes. "Try explaining that one."

"This could be a result of child abuse or neglect, Mr. Jackson," the teacher said. "Does your father abuse you?"

Liam and Opal just burst out laughing. "That's a good joke, Mr. Harris."

"Percy? Abuse Jesse?" Opal asked between her laughs. "Percy is anything but abusive."

"No, my father doesn't abuse me," Jesse said, trying to stifle his own laughs.

"Well," Mr. Harris tried again, "did you see any traumatic events when you were a child?"

"I watched my mom die in a plane crash," Jesse answered, looking back down out his desk. Opal and Liam immediately stopped laughing. Opal grabbed Jesse's hand. She squeezed, and Jesse squeezed back.

Everyone stared at Jesse, making him feel very uncomfortable. "Be a little considerate," snapped Opal.

"I-I don't know what would have caused that dream, Mr. Jackson," stammered Mr. Harris. "That is very odd. Normally, a traumatic experience would have triggered that experience. Is there anything you can think of that would have triggered a dream like that?"  
"No," Jesse said instantly. "Nothing." He thought back to the night Percy had found out about his recurring nightmare. Sometimes, he would still have that nightmare. "It was just a stupid dream. It wasn't anything else." _It was somehow related to my future_, he thought.


	12. Chapter 12

**It's a short chapter, guys, but y'all deserved something. ****_It's my fault everyone. I was really sick._**** And I was helping her keep up with her school work because we have tests coming up very soon.** _**We are both posting this on our stories. Percy and I laugh at all the flames we get.**_** I haven't got any flames yet, but I will laugh at it if you do send one in. ****_Just an FYI, now on with the story!_**

Jesse, Opal, and Liam sat down around a lunch table together. They had all grown up a lot. Jesse was just like Percy had been when he was a teenager. He was in a light blue t-shirt a pair of black skinny jeans. Liam was very strange. He was extremely ADHD and always needed to be playing with something in his hands. At the moment, he was building what looked like a small robot out of nuts and bolts he had stolen from the wood shop room. He grinned as he set it down on the table. It started scurrying across the table. Picking up Jesse's pizza, it scurried back to Liam. Jesse rolled his eyes and grabbed his pizza back. Opal was entirely different from the two boys. Growing up in the di Angelo household did that to you, especially after Thalia moved in with them. Jesse was pretty sure they were secretly dating. He was also positive they wouldn't tell anyone because Opal and Liam thought they were cousins. Opal was influenced a lot by Thalia and Nico. She wore completely black, but she could be cheerful when she liked the people she was around. She was in black, skin tight jeans, a grey cami, and a leather jacket.

Opal got up to go get her lunch. Liam snickered when he noticed Jesse staring at her. "So," he grinned, "Who're you asking to homecoming?"

"Huh?" Jesse asked.

Liam started cracking up. "Dude, are you gonna ask Opal to homecoming of wait till a jock does?" Jesse looked up. He glared at a football player as he got up to go talk to Opal. "Go get her, man," Liam grinned. Jesse stood up to go help Opal. He knew she hated it when he fought her battles, but he really did not want her saying yes to Ryan. He doubted she would, but just in case he wanted to ask her first.

"Shut up, Ryan," Jesse heard Opal groan as she tried to walk around Ryan.

"Not until you answer my question," Ryan Hansen growled, stepping in front of her. Opal stomped on Ryan's foot. Ryan winced, but didn't move.

"Get lost, Hansen," Jesse scowled as he reached the two.

"I can fight my own battles, Jesse," Opal growled.

"I know," Jesse said. "I needed to talk to you."

"What do you want?" Opal asked impatiently.

"Will you go to homecoming with me?"

Opal blinked and pointed at herself. Jesse nodded slowly. "Yes, I'll go with you, Jess," Opal smiled. "And no, Ryan, I will not go with you." Ryan scowled at Jesse, turned around, and left."

Jesse grinned at Opal and grabbed her hand. Opal smiled up at him and started dragging him back to where Liam was sitting with his robot.

"She said yes, then?" Liam asked, grinning. Jesse grinned back and nodded his rolled her eyes at Liam, who stuck his tongue out at her.

"You're so mature, Liam," Opal said.

"Of course I am," Liam retorted.

"Sarcasm, Liam."

"Do you two ever stop arguing?" Jesse asked.

"Nope," the two said in unison.

"Rhetorical question, you guys," Jesse groaned.

"We knew that," Liam said.


End file.
